Workington Town 18 Oldham Roughyeds 27

OLDHAM'S credentials as champions-in-waiting received a massive boost as a magnificent defensive display earned them their sixth consecutive Co-operative National League Two victory against a home team previously unbeaten at Derwent Park this season and who started the game second in the table.

CROSSING the line: both Lucas Onyango and Adam Hughes scored tries for Oldham in their win at Workington Town

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OLDHAM'S credentials as champions-in-waiting received a massive boost as a magnificent defensive display earned them their sixth consecutive Co-operative National League Two victory against a home team previously unbeaten at Derwent Park this season and who started the game second in the table.

The home side enjoyed the majority of possession - and plenty of field position and pressure with it - but their tactics of using their bigger forwards to outmuscle the Roughyeds came to a juddering halt as Oldham soaked up everything that was thrown at them, and then had the skill and ability to convert their half-chances into tries.

A tremendous physical effort only relented on two occasions in the second half; once when Town's quick restart caught the Roughyeds unaware and allowed full-back Rob Lunt to race 70 yards for a try; and the other when Lucas Onyango lost the ball in a crunching tackle in the dying minutes, allowing Martin Keavney to sidestep his way over for a try and secure a bonus point in defeat.

The game's first quarter was a fierce arm wrestle with neither side giving any ground and it was clear that only a moment of class was going to unlock one of the solid defences on show.

That moment came on 15 minutes when the influential Neil Roden created space for the powerful Adam Hughes to speed through a gap and throw two dummies on his way to the line without a finger being laid on him. The reliable Lee Sanderson added the extras.

Oldham were in again within four minutes as Keavney kicked on the last tackle towards Oldham's left flank and Onyango gathered on the full before surging through a large gap and hitting full speed to race in for a length-of-the-field spectacular.

However, although Sanderson's conversion appeared to sail between the sticks, the touch judges surprisingly thought otherwise.

Town continued to pound the Oldham line and were rewarded when centre Andrew Beattie forced his way over after Carl Forber's pass had given him room out wide. Forber's conversion made it 10-6 in Oldham's favour.

Poor handling let down the home side though and once Jamie Beaumont dropped the ball, Neil Roden made him pay as he quickly moved the ball to the left and sent Ian Hodson through a huge gap for a try converted by Sanderson whose penalty gave Oldham an 18-6 lead at half-time.

Another penalty stretched that advantage but once Roden's grubber kick had gone dead, Lunt raced away for a try from the tap restart as Oldham momentarily switched off. Forber's conversion brought Town within eight points at 20-12.

Roden added a drop goal before putting Chris Baines through another big gap for a converted try, and although Keavney's late converted try earned Town a bonus point, it did nothing to deflect from a rousing and significant Roughyeds victory.